Princess of Ice
by Miss Mizuno
Summary: Serenity was destined by love and by politics to Endymion. But are the other princess doomed to solitude forevermore? This is Princess Mercury's story...
1. Princess of Ice Chapter 1

**Princess of Ice**

**Tuesday 4:15pm**

_Ding Dong!!_

Mrs. Mizuno rushed down the stairs of her penthouse apartment, while her hands were still busy putting on her earrings. There was almost an hour before she had to go to work, but she liked to plan ahead. She opened the door, surprised that Usagi, Rei, Minako, and Makoto had arrived so early today. They normally did not arrive until sometime after she had left for work.

"Is Ami home yet?" Usagi immediately bit her lip self-consciously, she knew that she should have first greeted Mrs. Mizuno politely; she wished that she had remembered.

Mrs. Mizuno merely smiled, disregarding the slip of manners from one of Ami's friends. She was used to it by now, considering the fact that there were some rather rude and couth people that went through the hospital system too. It sometimes amused her that the girl with black hair was so much more ladylike, but the others were almost completely different. "Girls, I didn't expect you to be so early, Ami should be home soon, she is practicing for her test at..."

"We know, the usual, she's still at juku (cram school)." Minako blushed, she didn't mean to cut in, but it was an unconscious act.

Mrs. Mizuno's face registered surprise at this announcement. She turned away, gesturing them casually for them to make themselves at home, something she did out of politeness and habit, not actually because she wanted them to. She muttered quietly to herself, "so she hasn't told them....". Her remark escaped them, unnoticed, but the discomposure in her face was all that was needed to show them that something was wrong.

They stared at her, but didn't dare to say a word. Mrs. Mizuno was nice and polite to them, but not exactly friendly enough for casual talk and they didn't foresee that in the near future either. She suddenly seemed to remember her place; and turned to smile at them. "The Ashuri Skating Championship is on television right now, I'll turn it on so that you can watch while you wait."

The four of them (Usagi, Rei, Minako, Makoto) sat very still, some would even call it stiffly, on the three seater couch, in the Mizunos' living room, no one dared sit in the two seater by themselves. Mrs. Mizuno sat with them in the single couch, watching the Championships intently. They were quiet, not because they were absorbed in what they were watching (Akiyama-san – their idol, wasn't due to compete until last because of his good results), but because they dared not move.

They would have preferred to have the meeting at the Temple where the atmosphere was more relaxed, where screaming and yelling was allowed. And where the surrounding ornaments, not to mention the glasses they drank with, did not cost a small fortune. But Tuesday meetings were at the Mizuno abode because it was more convenient for Ami to get to after her late juku session. The time they were there, they had knocked over a vase, worth an obscene sum. Ami gasped as she cleaned up after them and her hands shook as she removed the pieces. They all saw the slight displeasure on Mrs. Mizuno's face when she had come home early but they dared not ask why. According to Ami, the vase had dated back to the days when she was dating Ami's dad, a vase made by a struggling, but now famous artist, thus her favourite vase worth a small fortune.

It was probably one of the only times when they had hoped that someone would yell at them, but Mrs. Mizuno only sighed when she heard the news and left them to themselves. The elegant doctor did not blame them and said nothing of her feelings. She was always like that, calm and courteous, a professional woman, but perhaps that was what made them so nervous around her. None of them planned a repeat of last time's episode.

They all sighed in relief as the front door opened, revealing an exhausted Ami in the doorway holding a large tote bag. "Ami, you're home from juku!"

"Juku? Oh... I ummm..." Ami suddenly looked completely lost and confused for a moment, then her face cleared, and her brow unlocked, "oh, yes." She turned away from her friends and hurried upstairs to her room, throwing her bag in the wardrobe at the foot of her bed.

"Hey Ami!" Ami jumped, she hadn't noticed that Minako had followed her into her room. Now everyone was there with her. "Nice bag. Can I see it?"

She blushed, "oh, it's just an old bag, you wouldn't be interested. Anyway, I've just put it away, maybe next time?"

"Dear, a letter came for you." Ami took it from her mother's hand. Looking at the post office stamp, she blushed once again as her heart leap to her throat. It was from Ashuri. The dishevelled writing on it was instantly recognizable. As she opened the letter, she could feel the stiffness of the envelope that usually signalled that a photograph was attached. No, she couldn't open it until they were gone otherwise, the whole secret would be out.

At that moment, Akiyama's name being announced on the television caught their attention. He was on! "Umm... Girls, I think..." Once again, Mrs. Mizuno's remark remained unfinished; the girls had all heard the television presenter announcing his warm-up before his competition.

"**_Now there's his favourite move, the triple axle – double luntz, fantastic landing from Akiyama-san."_**

"**_His arms are beautiful, look at that grace, like wings."_**

"**_Well he is the Tsunami, sweeping everything up as he passes. He's coming up to his single spin following the double loop jump, it's almost one of his trademark moves, tracing the figure 8 with the vertical split, the run-up to the triple-toe now..."_**

"Oh no! His left foot touched the ground!" Ami suddenly exclaimed.

"**_Oooo! Ito-san, that wasn't good. I believe his left foot touched the ground, a double footed landing."_**

"**_Yes, that's right, now that was a careless mistake on competitor Akiyama's behalf."_**

"_**Any chance of his recovering?"**_

"**_Oh, it's a close call. The judges could penalise him heavily for something like that. He might lose his first place to competitor Tsuzuki."_**

"**_Ito-san, something must have been on his mind, ne?"_**

"**_Whatever it is, if he is to have a chance at consecutive gold medals he has to get it out of his mind at the next round."_**

"**_Yes, I hear that his famous quad-triple axle-toe will be part of the routine."_**

The girls gasped at the news from the commentator and was surprised that Ami would pick up something like that. "Ami-chan, how did you know?"

"Oh," she shrugged, "I just like to watch, you know me, I study everything."

"Ami, is that true, what they said?"

Ami turned to her mother. "Tsuzuki will get all 6.0's, unless Akiyama gets all 6.0's in his designs – free skate, there's no way he can win. Tsuzuki is weak on that part, but he won't let the first place slip from him that easily, Akiyama will have to work hard to get it. That was a good quad-triple axle-toe though..."

The music signalling the end of the routine faded away, they waited for the scores anxiously, almost as if they were in the competition themselves. "Wow! Look at that! He got 5.8's and .9's! He'll definitely win!"

"That's not enough. He's left the door wide open for Tsuzuki. I think the designs will be good to watch tomorrow night..."

'**_Hi Ami, I'm in Ashuri at the moment, two more days to go. I'm counting down every minute of it; I hope that everything will go well, although as I mentioned last time, I am having some difficulties concentrating. I hope that you have been practicing, have you still got my lucky charm? ...'_**

The door opened as Mrs. Mizuno stuck her head in the doorway. "They're in the kitchen having snacks. I know you're anxious to read the letter, but try not to be so long, you know I feel... uncomfortable..."

Ami nodded and smiled. She understood her mother's feelings. Her mother still hadn't figured out why her daughter had mixed with friends like that yet, so unlike herself. Ami hurriedly placed the letter back in its envelope, and opened the wardrobe at the end of her bed. Reaching in, she took out a wooden box, full of letters, and placed the letter with the others. White crepe from a short mini-dress draped across her forehead lightly, she looked up and touched the dress material lightly, her mind drifted off into a dream.

A sudden sharp crash forced Ami from her reverie, Usagi's scream and... Ami didn't need to be a genius or use any part of her 300 plus IQ to know that Usagi must have broken yet another one of their delicate fruit juice glasses. She smiled; luckily, her mother had now learnt not to serve them juice in crystal.


	2. Princess of Ice Chapter 2

**Princess of Ice**

**Friday 7:30am**

The quietness of the morning in the school ground always astounded her, it was nearly, the only time you could hear yourself think, the other time being near dawn, but at that time, the whole city was quiet.

A soft click echoed through the hallway as her locker lock opened, revealing a small locker crammed with books, in an eye-pleasing fashion. She had broken the stereotype that geniuses were always messy, Ami Mizuno was definitely not like messy; unlike Newton or Beethoven, she was tidy almost to the point of obsession.

Today something was different, something was there that ought not be; yet she couldn't quite figure out how anything could have gotten in. A sweat-drop appeared on her forehead as she noticed the ventilation hole on her locker-door; anything could have been dropped in from there. She glanced around the locker, and finally noticed a white paper package lying in the corner. She cocked her head to one side and smiled, only one person could have wrapped anything like that.

**_Flashback_**

'Houdini' sat at her desk, thankful that no one, as yet, had tried to tease her, gang up on her. She had managed to escape safely from all of it this morning, into her private sanctuary, the world of imagination, the world of dreams, the world that her favourite story took place in.

It didn't necessarily mean that it took place in the rosy world that most stories children of her own age read. No, she was a realist; she enjoyed stories that were actually possible, something that she could really see herself in. Her favourite story, the story that she was reading now, was _I am David_, not something like _Snow White_, _Cinderella_; they were too fake, too... unrealistic. She could never imagine herself as a Princess, but as a prisoner escaping from a concentration camp? Yes. In a way, that was what she was doing right now, though not quite the same physically, she was escaping from the same mental torture that David was facing.

"Hey, Houdini! Reading again? Bookworm, nerd..."

"Heidi, shh...! 'Tsunami' is coming, come over here! I can't believe that he is really coming into our class! My God! I am so lucky, I just have this really great feeling that he will like me!"

The little girl sighed; she was saved from the torture. She was more than glad to be left by herself again, where she could concentrate on her books. Her name wasn't really Houdini; it was just... just that she was too isolated. She always locked herself in her own little world, in a death defying trap, like Houdini, supposedly, that was what all the other students said. In the end, he had died because he couldn't escape from what he had got himself into. But one couldn't possibly die from too much study right?  
She sighed again, girls could be so cruel! "If only I had some magic like the real Houdini, I'd show them all that there was more to me, Ami Mizuno!"

"Umm... Ami?" The little girl dropped her jaw as she looked up. She was shocked; it wasn't exactly usual that she was addressed by her real name, not her sickening nickname.

But the other reason that she was so surprised was that the person addressing her was no other than the guy known by 'Tsunami' by most people. It was the new school year; the girls had probably missed seeing him around in real life, although his face was frequently on television...

His nickname was 'Tsunami' because of the way that his amazing ice-skating form had swept through the skating world, sweeping up all the medals in the Junior Division. He was, in many ways, the school and the students' idol. They weren't going to be pleased when they saw that **he** was talking to **her**! She liked talking to him, because he had something in his head, unlike most of the other students. He was polite, despite his popularity, the two things seemed to have an inverse relationship, but in his case, it wasn't. She smiled in fondness as she thought of the relationship, yx-1/2.

"Umm..."

"Don't you remember me? I'm what's known as Tsunami around here, you helped me pass the grade one exams."

"I remember. Can I help you?"

He blushed, which again surprised Ami. He was usually poised, very sure of himself. "I've got something for you, to thank you for helping me, and for your birthday."

Ami looked at the package suspiciously. She had never got presents from her classmates, this was an absolute first. Tsunami was nice, but she doubted that he would remember her birthday. And as part of the Neiri Gang (the gang that all the populars belonged to) he was not exempt to being part of stupid pranks.

She heard girls behind him giggling, and the boys grinning, she wasn't sure whether it was because of the fact that he was paying attention to her, or because something in that package was going to cause her extreme embarrassment. She looked at him again, and she decided that the reason had to be the latter. She cleared her voice, and said harshly, "you open it."

It was not often that this young girl of seven years got things wrong, even when it came to doing questions in new maths topics. But this time, judging from Tsunami's expression, she did get it wrong. He dropped the package on her desk, his face burning with shame and embarrassment.

Before Ami could say another word he had turned away and left.

She was immediately surrounded by her classmates, scolding her for being cruel, she was sorry, but couldn't say so. She slowly unwrapped the present, when she saw the teddy bear key-ring wearing skates, tears fell from her eyes, the voices became echoes in her mind, and for the first time she lost control. "Who are you to know what being cruel is?" and ran out as well.

Ami looked at her pale blue plastic watch on her wrist, still twenty minutes before class, she had plenty of time to find Tsunami and apologize. She found him in the playground, sitting by the corner on a bench facing the street. She walked towards him quietly, sitting next to him, facing the opposite direction, to the school. "I'm sorry, I thought it was a prank."

"Well I hope you get some real ones!"

Ami looked confused for a second then burst into tears. "You don't know what it's like being the odd one out!'

His ears pricked as he heard her sobbing. Silently he handed her a scrunched up tissue from his pocket. "It would almost be the same as being the most popular in class wouldn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's lonely, no one cares. If I fall in my badge test, and can't get into the competition, then I'd be like you, no friends, you see, none of these _friends_ are really friends."

"You think so?"

"I hate being the center of attention. I wish... I wish they'd treat me like a normal person."

"But you're not!"

"So even you think that way." Tsunami got up from the bench and started walking back to school. "I thought you were different."

Ami looked up and reached out for him arm shyly as he began to walk off. She tugged at his sleeve lightly, looking down to her feet. "You are different, because everyone knows you are the skating champion, the famous ice-skater!"

"Well, you are the one who got first place in the Speaking Competition."

"I guess so."

Tsunami smiled at her. "Well, since we're the same, friends?"

Ami nodded and beamed back. "Friends. Hey, how did you know it was my birthday?"

"Simple, my mum reminds me to thank you every single day, and I saw it on your mum's diary when I was at your place studying... not to mention it's the day after my badge test."

Ami smiled at him again, and murmured softly, "friends..."

Snapping back into reality, she focused to opening the package. Another teddy bear key-ring wearing skates, she was getting quite a collection of them. But he was always like that, it was his signature, he didn't like signing his name to anything. A note was attached to the package. **_'I hope that this is your locker Ami, might drop in for a surprise visit at your practice. There might even be the possibility that I'll see you later on in school.'_**

Ami smiled happily. Just as she was adding the key ring to the zipper of her school uniform, her hand twitched and she sighed at the rash that she had on the back of her hand.


	3. Princess of Ice Chapter 3

**Princess of Ice**

**Monday 8:30am**

Haruna-sensei smiled at her noisy class during role-call, for a moment she was tempted to lay down the law but decided it was Monday and it was hardly necessary. She was excited today because there would be a new student arriving in the third period and she was always excited about new students.

Mentally she wondered how she would fit the student into the class. As with all Japanese schools, the aisles were organised so that the sex of the students alternated. On her left was Mizuno-chan, then Minako-chan, Usagi-chan, Ikira-chan... The spare seat behind Imayu-san was going to be the new student's, across the aisle from Minako-chan. Personally, she would have preferred him to sit in Imayu-kun's seat, across the aisle to Ami-chan, it was much closer to her, but again, she couldn't possibly ask Imayu-san to move out of his seat to the one in the back...

**11:00am**

She smiled as she walked into class. She was this class' maths teacher as well as the home-group teacher, and now, it was time to introduce their new student. She could only be slightly disappointed that she wasn't allowed to show him around school and into her class, but she wasn't one to let things like that get to her.

A knock was heard at the door, silence and tense expectation floods the class. As the door began to slide open, gasps washed like a wave from the students. It was Asuka Akiyama himself joining their class, stepping into the classroom, winning hearts! He quickly introduced himself and bowed low to show his humility. The female students were already grinning from their good luck and the male students groaned, knowing just how much harder it would be to gain the opposite sex's attention now. The new student was kindness himself, smiling to everyone and as _Pride and Prejudice_ – Jane Austin would say "makes love to us all".

Slipping quietly into his allocated seat, Minako readily leaned over to meet his acquaintance as all the other girls had... the aisles on either side of him leaned inwards, towards him. Usagi leaned forwards as well, the whole class fell into chaos; they all wanted autographs on anything and everything.

Ami looked at the scene like a visitor from Mars (well, Mercury for the matter), not quite sure what the fuss was about. She turned back to Maths book and began to do problems which she knew Haruna-sensei should have been teaching. Little did she know though, that Haruna-sensei was also a little star-struck and could hardly utter a coherent word let alone teach.

As the noise reached its maximum, a crash silenced the room with Minako having leaned too far over, falling to the ground. The whole class burst into laughter. Asuka, as a polite young man should, got up and helped her back into her seat. While doing so, he looked over the studious student's shoulder, seeing what she was doing. He smiled at that, and poked a finger onto her textbook, "I've always had problems with this type of question, can you show me?"

A hush fell over the whole class, this athlete, this idol, this... superstar actually studied! Usagi excitedly ran up, "she's Ami-chan, she helps me with so much homework. She's the smartest around here, right sensei?"

Ami looked at Usagi and Asuka. Sighing, she pulled out a piece of paper from underneath her desk, silently doing the problem step by step for Asuka. He crouched beside her, folding his arms on the side of her desk to rest his chin. Ami looked down at him, "understand?"

Asuka smiles, "uhuh, can you do another one?"

"You do it, I'll help you if you can't do it." Flicking her fingers gently, she pointed the pencil at Asuka, taking it from her hand; he pulled up a chair, and started writing. Ami, meanwhile, took another pencil from her pencil case and continued tackling other problems; oblivious to the attention she was attracting from the whole class (actually they are all standing behind her shoulder.)

"Like this?"

Ami took one quick glance at the piece of paper that Asuka hands her. "uhuh," Ami smiled at both Usagi and Asuka, "I always said that you could do it if you tried." Ami smiles. "You're pretty smart and congratulations on your last competition."

Asuka smiles back and gently knock his head with his knuckles, "just not smart enough, not good enough for someone." Standing up, he leans forward and puts his palms flat on Haruna-sensei's desk, "so, is this a self-taught class?"

Haruna-sensei stuttered at being caught out, "no... this is just because they are so excited about having you in the class, I... well, take out your notebooks, we will start writing some notes on Calculus." Everyone begins to groan, but no one holds grudges against superstars.

**1:00pm**

As with class time, chaos ensued as everyone chased Akiyama-san for a handshake, a picture or an autograph. In their one-hour lunch, the first fifteen minutes were always spent in the classroom for lunch, while the rest of the break was more of a relaxation period. Asuka had tried to eat but rather unsuccessfully as pieces of paper kept being shoved on his desk for him to sign.

The moment the bell sounded, Ami quickly left the chaos next to her and took her literature textbooks with her intent on escaping from the library. As more people poured into the classroom to meet the new 'zoo exhibit', Akiyama-san excused himself. A trail of girls followed him around the corridors and the trail increased in mass as girls from other classes join in. Asuka quickly disappears into the toilets, and climb out through a back window. Spying the library close by, he walks in, trying to appear as normal as possible.

"Studying??"

Ami jumps in fright, "Asuka, this is a quiet area. Shh!"

"I'm glad it's plain Asuka with you, not 'Akiyama-san'. I'm here, to get away from the people."

"I think you've found the right place to go."

"So have you been practicing?"

"My 7th Badge test's next Tuesday, Trials next Thursday, you knew that didn't you?"

Opening his diary he looked at the entries on those days. "Just wanted to make sure. Still got my lucky charm?"

Ami smiled and leaned back. Her fingers touched her collar lightly. "Around my neck. See? It's such an old one that no one knows what it is. Usagi's always asking me about it."

"Are... the students... always like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the autographs... and umm... photos."

Usagi and Minako, depressed at losing sight of Asuka decides to join Ami in the library. They are more than shocked to hear their friendly, casual conversation.

"We don't get star athletes here everyday."

"I only get this treatment after I win something back at Takanawa Academy."

"That's different."

"You don't treat me like this."

Ami smiles, "I don't care about it."

Asuka grins, "will you be wearing the white dress soon?"

She smiles in return, "when?"

"What about next Thursday?"

"I've got juku till late, I don't have time to change!"

Asuka leans forward with a smile, lowering his voice; he huskily murmurs, "Miss it." Getting up, he prepares to leave, suddenly; he leans down again, "what flowers do you want?"

Ami blushes confusedly, "lilies I guess."

He picks up one of her books and turns away to sit in another section of the library. For a moment, Ami is too embarrassed to focus, and by the time she has gotten over it, Usagi and Minako have already pounced on their latest victim.

"Wow, he's made a hit on you Ami, you lucky girl!"

"Minako, you've got it wrong..."

"I can't believe he's asked you to go to the social with him. My gosh, can we swap partners midway? You don't mind dancing with Mamoru do you??"

"Social? Usagi, what are you trying to say?"

"Hello! The social is next Thursday, I can't believe that he knows and you don't."

"Shh! This is the quiet area! Anyway, I'm not going to the social, I've got juku."

Minako grins, lowering her voice to imitate Asuka's, "miss it." Laughter rings throughout the library. Ami immediately blushed. "You've got a dress and everything, go! You said that you would, you promised!"

"I said I'd think about it. And what's that about the dress?"

"Ami, the white dress he was talking about??"

"That? That's a..."

"Did you know him from before? How did he know that you have a white dress?"

"Guys, it's not a normal dress, I can't wear that!"

"Whatever! We'll be the judge when we come over tomorrow."

"Guys, no!"

The librarian suddenly appears behind them, "Ami-chan I am surprised at you, I would have thought that you'd know better than this. Usagi-chan, Minako-chan, this is the library, please be quiet or leave."

Usagi and Minako stood up immediately, announcing. "We're leaving!" Packing Ami's books, they dragged her out. Passing Asuka along the way, who has obviously heard the whole conversation, looks up and smiles at them. "My gosh! Ami, he smiled at you!"

"So?"

"So?! I swear you're too slow for your own good sometimes. He likes you!"

"Usagi, you're reading too much into this, it's just..."

"Hey you guys!" A huge heavy hand slapped onto Usagi's back. They turn around and realize that it's Makoto. "Some commotion over at your class I understand."

"Makoto, can you believe it? Akiyama-san is in our class, he transferred over from some great school, and, get this; he's got a crush on Ami. He's even asked her to the social next week, but she's still thinking. He is such a God!" Usagi continued to blab.

"Well? Are you going?"

"Makoto, what are you talking about? They've misunderstood; of course I'm not going. I don't go to things like that."

"Things could change..."

"Besides, I don't even have anything to wear."

"What about that white dress he was talking..."

"Minako! It's not a dress... it's a..."

"I'm sure you can wear it to the ball even if it was a skirt. Come on, show us. Makoto, did I tell you, Akiyama-san is so..."

"I can't believe this. I give up!" Ami turns and returns to the library.


	4. Princess of Ice Chapter 4

**Princess of Ice**

**Tuesday Afternoon 5:00pm**

Usagi, Minako and Rei arrived at Ami's front door on this special Tuesday prepared for a night of fun instead of business. Makoto was at home preparing a surprise feast as the other girls kidnapped the birthday girl for a night of festivities. Rei had wondered ruefully if the plan was really to get Minako and Usagi out of the kitchen, since the last time they were there, suffice to say it wasn't pretty.

"Girls, Ami will be a little late home today, come in and make yourself comfortable, she'll be back soon."

"Mrs. Mizuno, aren't you staying for Ami's birthday celebration? Makoto-chan is cooking tonight and we were hoping that you would join us." Rei smiled.

"There's a little emergency in the hospital, the Emergency Ward, I have to go and make sure that everything is alright. At least I'm sure that she will have friends to celebrate with. I'm sure that she will have a good time with you."

"Celebrate?" Rei asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. I heard that you had a new student in your class, nice boy?"

"Very nice!" Minako answered enthusiastically as her mind drifted to that dimpled smile that adorned his face.

"That's always good to hear. Will you tell Ami to call me when she gets back?"

"Sure." They close the door behind Mrs. Mizuno as she left.

"Guys," Minako suddenly said, "let's go and take a look at the dress she was talking about today."

"I wouldn't think that it would be a good idea to look through someone else's things without their permission."

"Rei-chan! I'm sure she won't mind and it's not like we have anything to do."

Opening her white wardrobe they saw no trace of a white dress as they searched through her clothes. Turning around they opened her brown wardrobe at the foot of her bed. "Wow, Akiyama-san's poster! It's addressed to her as well! I can't believe it! That was... 5 years ago, he was only a starter then, hardly anyone knew him. And look at this one, 2 years ago!"

"Look at all those tapes. They're all tapings of skating competitions; she must be like his greatest fan! I never knew she liked ice skating."

"Well it is kind of her element."

"Wow! Here's a white dress. That's... a bit... revealing."

They gathered around Usagi to look at the body-hugging dress. It was sequined with a wide neck just revealing her shoulders. The long bell shaped sleeves was made from crepe and lace, and a crepe covering that went from the end of the sleeves to around the shoulders, giving the effect of wings. An embroidery of butterflies and flowers made from a mixture of light and dark blue thread spread from the left side of her stomach down to her left hip. The length of the skirt, it was made with a swimsuit bottom and the skirt itself was flared and barely covered the wearer's backside.

"Oh my god! This is so un-Ami! No wonder she didn't want to wear it to the social."

"Jackpot!" Minako yelled as she pulled out a wooden box that Ami had kept hidden. They opened it to find saw letters, newspaper clippings, photos...

"Look's this one's from Ashuri, the one she got last week! Akiyama-san's photograph... of him skating! Where did she get it from?"

Pulling out the letter from its envelope, they scanned to the bottom. "Signed by someone called AA? Wow! I can't believe this, it must be from Akiyama-san."

Minako leaned forward to look at all the other envelopes, "they're all from him. All these photos, and letters."

"This is huge! It's like the treasure of the century. Can you believe it? They've known each other like forever. This was written when... Ami was about 9, 10. Look at that photo, Ami must have been about seven then, they're skating together! Primary school photos..."

They spun around and dropped the incriminating evidence of their snooping at the sound of a loud crash behind them. Whilst they had expected some sort of reprimand from Ami, what they hadn't expected was the person in their company. Asuka, who was behind her, looked at them with pure curiosity. "We thought you were thieves."

"Umm... Ami, your mum let us in. Oh, she said call her."

Ami shook her head, advancing the mess that was made from her carefully arranged wardrobe, and the skirt that was lying on her bed. "I can't believe this."

"Not my fault!"

"How could you Ami? You never told us you knew him in real life!"

Ami raised an eyebrow uncomprehendingly at Minako's outburst, not really understanding what the fuss was about, she answered, "I didn't think it was important."

"Is this dress yours?"

"Itsmyskatingdress." Ami mumbled.

"What?"

"She says 'its her skating dress.'" Akiyama-san pronounced proudly.

"Ami, I can't believe that you can skate, hey, where are the boots?"

"It's in my bag, I had an exam today."

"Exam? How did it go?? Wow, cool, look at those photos!"

"Usagi, please put them away." Pause. "Put them away please, NOW!"

"Okay, okay, you don't have to be so touchy about it. By the way, I really like the skirt."

Asuka grinned at Usagi's favorable critique. "See, I told you and you wouldn't wear it. Wear it on Thursday? So, what's everyone doing here?"

Ami blushed. "Nothing! Its habit."

"Lying is bad for your soul Ami! Akiyama-san, it's her birthday."

"What? Oops! Umm...I thought it was tomorrow, the day after the badge test... Uh-oh..."

"I'm going to call my mum. Umm... Minako, can you put the dress back, please?" Minako hurriedly placed the dress back in the wardrobe as the rest left the room.

**Tuesday Afternoon 5:15pm**

"Mother? I got home a little while ago."

...  
"Yes, I passed it."

...

"Uhuh, he came. He came and saw me do the test with Narai-sensei, and then came back with me. He's still here; do you want to talk to him? **... **Asuka!"

He leaned over to take the phone out of her hand. "Hello? Aunty Mewagi. Yep, it's me, your favorite man!"

...

The girls looked at them in shock, not only were they friends but it seemed that Akiyama-san knew Ami's mother well enough to call her aunty. To them, it was strange in comparison for they had known Ami for so long and so well, yet not having the privilege to call her mother with such familiarity.

He chuckled, "yes, I'll take care of her. I can't believe that you didn't remind me it was her birthday!"

...

"Okay, okay, I promise I won't let anyone harm her. And I'll try not to burn the house down, but I won't guarantee anything else, that ok with you? Umm... You do have insurance don't you?"

...

"Ok, I'll see you later then."

"Akiyama-san, you KNOW Ami's mum?"

"Call me Asuka. You know, aunty Mewagi's cool."

"Well, we don't even know her all that well."

"So?"

"How?"

"I knew Ami since grade 1. I was in primary school with her, well, until..."

**_Flashback_**

Little Ami and little Asuka (about 8) playing together, holding hands like all little kids do. Jumping around and laughing and giggling. Suddenly an older girl comes over, and laughingly says "Ami and Asuka sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes marriage, second comes...".

Ami jumps away, "am not!" and runs off, refusing to talk with Asuka.

"Until what?"

Asuka was startled by Usagi's sudden interruption to his thoughts, "umm... well..." his voice drifted away.

"So you guys kept in contact? Anything to remember by?"

"That comes on a need to know basis Usagi. Unless Ami wants to let you know, you won't." Asuka smiled at Ami, who looked down to her feet. The girls gathered around the poor girl trying to gather information off her.

**_Flashback_**

Their friendship flourished, but unfortunately it wasn't long until Ami was to move away to Tokyo with her mother. "Ami I want you to have this."

Taking the package from his hand, she slowly unwrapped it, a tear dripped from her cheek. Inside was a small concave medal, the first medal from the first competition Asuka had ever entered. "but, it's your lucky charm."

"It is, I just... I just wanted you to have it since you're going away, and..."

"I can't take this!"

"You have to! Hey, what about a deal?"

"What deal?"

"You give it back when you get your own?"

"That's crazy; I'm really had at sports."

"You're learning how, Narai-sensai says you're doing well."

"No I'm not."

"Deal is, we'll pair skate at competitions."

"Asuka, no! I can't."

"You're the one who keeps on saying that anyone can do anything if they put their hearts to it."

"This is different!"

"You just don't have the guts!"

"I do so have the guts!"

"Well then?"

"Deal!"

Little Ami stared at him furiously, her eyes flashed with determination as her little hands clasp around the medal. Asuka grinned as she turns away, and holds up his fingers for a brief victory sign. Success. It was something that he often did with Ami, her temper though mild, was from determination. "Hey Ami, wait up!" He ran up to her, took the medal from her hands and slipped it over her head.

Ami sighed involuntarily as her hand reached for the small concave medal she wore on her neck. She remembered that one-year in Tokyo High, no one had spoken to her; they viewed her as they would look at someone from outer-space (literally). True, she got the best marks, but they didn't seem to understand that she was human too. She was glad to transfer into Juuban High when she was 13; there she had finally found new friends, friends which were forever. It was where she truly belonged. The only sanctuary she had when she was in Tokyo High was the library and the skating rink.

"Well Ami?" Usagi asked

Ami smiled and turned away from their questioning faces. "nothing, its nothing, we moved around when I was young."

Asuka grinned at the girls. "You guys do know that she skates don't you? She's going in the Japan Figure Skating Competition"

"Asuka!"

Asuka grinned at her reluctance. "You guys think the skirt will look good on her? She's wearing it on Thursday, it's the trials. Of course, Ami-chan has been complaining about it being too short for her."

"Oh I'm sure she'll be used to it." Minako said as she eyed Ami, referring to the senshi skirt.

"She's skating with the 'Emperor'." Asuka announced proudly.

"The Emperor? You're skating with the Emperor of Japan?"

Rei immediately whacked Usagi on the head "he's talking about music, Piano Concerto Number 5 by Beethoven."

"Beethoven?... hmm... sounds yummy! Is it like honey?"

Ami covered her mouth and smiled. Before more could be said about honey and the emperor, Rei's mobile phone rang with an impatient Makoto on the other end.


	5. Princess of Ice Chapter 5

**Princess of Ice**

**Thursday 7:00pm**

"Go Ami! Go! WOO... HOOO!"

Whistles, loud stamping on the floor, and clapping was heard from above as Ami pushed off from the side of the rink, away from Asuka and her coach, to warm up before her turn. From the audience, people turned around to stare down the three girls who were making the racket. Two blondes held small Japanese fans, cheering; dancing and yelling encouragement, but causing more embarrassment. While the brunette next to them cupped her hands over her mouth to yell. Beside the three wayward girls, sat two other people. A young dark haired man, and a raven-haired girl. The two sat beside them silently, turning away and shielding their faces as if to disavowal their acquaintances.

Below them, the judges turned towards them disapprovingly as a solemn voice filled the hall. **_"Silence. Silence please!"_**

Along the aisle, security guards rushed towards their row, and reached towards them, quickly hushing them, threatening removal if they kept on yelling.

While Ami, calm as ice, as always, slid across towards the middle of the rink like a swan on a lake. She raised her chin slightly, and pulled back her shoulders as she remembered the professional skating posture. Underneath, her insides quivered, but as she took a deep breath, her composure returned. Smiling, she skated past her coach and Asuka, then scanned the audience, it didn't take her long to find the source of commotion, her friends. She closed her eyes again, bent her knees, and prepared herself for a double axle. A cool breeze rushed across her face as she sped up, and she erupted high into the air, gracefully spinning, then landing just as smoothly as she took off. The force which she left the ice, yet the gradual drop that had not caused a sudden bump.

"**_Ladies, time please." _**A small phrase that meant the beginning of the competition, the competition for a place in the All-Japan Figure Skating Competition. A wave of anticipation swept over the audience, who were all here to support their friends, members of the family.

All was silent except for the rolling of the cameras along the side of the rink. Tonight was the night. Although tonight was only the trials for the All-Japan, but it was the most distinguished competitions in Japan. It occurred every four years, and the top 3 were automatically given a spot in the Winter Olympics, while the others spots were separately competed for. The significance that the Genius Girl Ami Mizuno had chosen this competition to debut in figure skating was not lost on the media. With the landing which she had just flawlessly performed, she had just announced to the previous year's champion, Akiko Watanebe, that she had a challenger, a challenger for the top spot. Ami Mizuno was here to add yet another honor to her name.

"**_Number 119."_**

Once again, silence swept across the stadium as a young competitor slid quickly to the middle of the rink. The music started, the girl raised her arms, her left leg pushed off as she circled the middle, preparing for a jump. She spun her body quickly, too quickly, as she tumbled onto the ice.

It was going to be a long night. 30 girls had already given their best shot, 119 girls to go until the Japanese Champion. Ami had been placed as 111 according to her name in the list of unknown competitors.

When Number 119 finished her routine without many other mistakes, polite applause sounded in the stadium. A few people cheered wildly, possibly her family. Chatter resumed, as the family and Number 119 anxiously awaited the results.  
**_"3.0, 3.2, 3.6, 3.5, 3.2, 3.1, 2.9."_**

Usagi was stunned at the results and looked at Makoto who, apart from Ami, knew the most in the group about ice-skating, "isn't that really bad?"

"We'll this is the trials. Ami-chan will need an average of something in the 5.6's to get into the final of the trials, but 3.3 isn't bad for a starter."

"**_Number 118." _**The group dipped into silence once again. The mundane routine started and ended without excitement. The girl stuttered and fell, tripped without grace. That was expected from starters, judges leaned back and rubbed their eyes. It was not the most fascinating performance they had ever seen.

"**_2.7, 2.9, 3.3, 3.2, 3.0, 3.1, 2.8."_**

"**_Number 117." ..._**

"**_Number 116." ..._**

"**_Number 115." ..._**

"**_Number 114." ..._**

"**_Number 113." ..._**

"**_Number 112." "1.1, 1.5, 2.1, 2.3, 1.6, 1.8, 1.0."_**

A nudge pushed two girls from their seats. Rei sighed and turned away, while Usagi and Minako loudly fell as they woke up. The people in front turned around and stared at them, they were not pleased. "Huh? What's happening?"

"She's on! She's on!"

"What? WOO...HOO! Go AMI!"

Down below, Ami blushed as she left the coaching area. She reached up and took the bowl-shaped medal from her neck from her neck, handing it to Asuka for safekeeping. She stepped out onto the ice delicately, hesitating slightly before she pushed off from the side. The crepe that was attached from the end of her sleeves to her shoulder blades fluttered and floated behind her. Two pieces of crepe (one ice blue and the other white) were tied onto each of her white skating boots, long enough to catch attention, yet short enough to dismiss the problem of tripping. In that brief moment, she had caught the judges' attention. This competitor had wings.

Once she reached the middle, she smiled confidently, and raised her right arm to shoulder height in preparation for her routine. Her chest rose lightly as she took a deep breath, she nodded to the music technician, she was ready.

The soft angelic music of the 'Emperor' wafted throughout the stadium, a hush of silence fell among the audience. Her right arm drifted above her head as though it was led by a piece of string tied to her wrist, she twined her hand as it reached the top to let her fingertips point to the left side of her body. With her knees bent gently she twisted her body 90 degrees to the left, her left arm embraced around her waist, she jumped and cut a spiral through the air.

**_The audience drew a sharp breath, Ami had not taken a run-up in preparation for the jump. No, that wasn't a jump, she had merely drifted over the ice._**

As she rejoined the ice surface, she spread out her arms, her left leg lifted, her whole body bent forwards as she became parallel to the ground. The crepe wings drifted behind her, rising and falling as she came to a slow stop back towards the middle, her arms and leg connected above her head, she spun, tracing a character of eight on the smooth ice.

As though she owned the ice, she leisurely stood straight, lazily stretching her back, she dipped her shoulder to one side and swivelled around twice, allowing her arm to lead the way. Then, quickening her pace she flew around the rink, preparing herself for a double-axle loop. She imagined herself as sparrow, a graceful albatross flying free, defying all the laws of physics and escaping from the constraints of gravity. She took off. Again, she sailed through the air.

**_The judges almost rubbed their eyes. Normally, the trials were an uninspiring experience. This type of performance was most definitely not expected from a starter. This was only her first competition... As this competitor raced around the walls of the rink, her grace, with the illusion of the crepe from her dress, showed a glimpse of angel wings. She glided on the ice, like a bird in the sky. They could imagine tiny pieces of white down feather cascading from behind, falling on the ice._**

**_Her jumps so far had been perfect, showing excellent ground cover, skill and control of each movement. Her routine fitted for the music faultlessly, no, the music suited the routine. It was as though the music and the dance were composed hand in hand, as though Beethoven had composed this piece with this dance in mind. She was dancing on ice like ballet, this girl was not merely skating._**

**_They looked down on her performance chart... what?? A triple-triple? Watanebe had tried it a few times, and never succeeded. The Japanese women's jumps weren't strong enough for high jumps that accommodated such complexity. Watanebe had made a fool out of herself doing that in the Pan-Pacific Competition, the girl had landed on her backside, twisting herself flat to the ground. Her coach had been reprimanded for causing such embarrassment. This starter was going to try it? For a trial run?_**

Once again she quickened her pace, she felt exhilarated, the muscles on her stomach were firm, the cool breeze rushed over her forehead. Everything was under control. She was ready for the big one. Her feet left the ground as she catapulted into the air, touching the ice again for a split second, she was in the air again. First half completed, now came the difficult part, the landing.

As she was about to land after the sequences of twists and turns, she panicked for a moment, she was going too fast to complete it with perfection. She took a deep breath, pulled her muscles tautly. Her left foot touched the ice, too fast, her right foot crashed on roughly. Her arms held outwards for balance, she remembered what she had to do, pulling herself towards the left side, she regained her poise.

**_It was amazing. This competitor was still up and off the ice. The landing was a little rough and she looked as though she would fall, but it was not due to height, or speed. Well, at least the lack of speed. It was something that the judges had never seen before. A rough landing due to too much speed in a triple-triple. So much so that the competitor had almost stumbled. The fact that she had never competed... with polish and experience, this girl could take on the world._**

Ami's face lit up immediately. She had managed to stay off the ice. Now, a simple 360-degree spin to end the routine. The happiness that she felt was visible in the way she had conducted herself during her spin. It seemed to yell excitement out. Again, the result impeccable. She gently slowed to a stop in the middle of the rink once again, right in time with the music. She smiled and waved up to her friends in the audience who were cheering at the top of their lungs, then she turned rejoined Asuka and her coach on the sides at the waiting area.

Asuka smiled at her, overjoyed with her performance. Handing her a large bouquet of white lilies, he hugged her. "Well done! You did great!"

"Did you see the judges' faces?" Ami looked at Asuka, her smile brightly on her face. She was bursting with happiness, the magic of having so many people applaud and approve of what she had achieved. The sensation was magical, it was not like anything she had never known in her whole lifetime. The people were admiring her work in something that she loved. She had felt confident on the ice, she had melded into its touch.

"Wear your jacket otherwise you will catch a cold. I'm sure your mother will not be pleased." Ami smiled at Narai-sensei, her dear coach who enjoyed fussing over her students.

She was in a dream. Her mind drifted to where her mother might be at the moment. Mum was probably in the emergency ward right now. She couldn't blame her mother to be in the hospital one bit though. Saving people was her mother's passion, just as it was hers. She thought proudly, her mother was probably saving someone's life right now. Her work there was important. She was sure that her mother would be supporting her mentally, whatever she was doing.

Little did this little girl know that her mother was hidden behind the curtains, away from Ami's sight. "Ami!"

Ami gasped and turned at the sound of her mother's voice. Although she had skates on, the difficulty of running to her mother's arms was not a task too difficult to be achieved. "I didn't think that you would make it!"

"Of course I would make it, it's your big day!"

"_**5.3, 5.1, 5.7, 5.0, 5.4, 5.4, 5.2!"**_

**_The media gaped at the scores that were announced over the speakers. "That's the highest score they have ever given anyone at the trials."_**

"_**Well, Asuka has been getting straight 5.9's for the past three years."**_

"**_We have to remember that this young lady is only a starter, Asuka Akiyama is the Men's Champion."_**

Arms and bodies crushed on top of her as her friends reached the waiting area. "You made it! You made it!"

She turned and pulled herself away from the wild human crush of bodies. Her marks were up on the screen. She looked at Asuka and Sensei Narai for their verdict on the score. Their wild cries of joy were all that was needed to confirm the results.

The senshi of ice had become a princess of the ice.


	6. Princess of Ice Chapter 6

Many thankies for the kind reviews… please keep them coming, its all very encouraging. And, just a response to messages:

An1m3cH1Ck411: yes, Mako is the skiing, but I think that was downhill skating wasn't it, and not figure skating?

Meanwhile, please enjoy, and well, write to me soon.

-----------------------------------------------

**Saturday 6:30pm**

She hesitated as she opened the heavy doors leading to the small restaurant that they were celebrating at. She looked down at herself self-consciously, she could only hope that she wouldn't stand out too much from the rest of the group. It felt odd to her, the transformation she had gone through. From the bookworm that other students picked on and passed over when picking out team-mates for PE classes to the sudden class favourite.

It was already the second day since the happiest day of her life had passed. Time flew by unknowingly and she hardly knew where the days went. She had walked around, her head in the clouds, her feet above the ground. She didn't know how she passed those days, only that all her friends were with her. She remembered celebrating with her mother on the night of her success. School had flown by on Friday like a dream, she was very unlike herself, her concentration span had been below her normal standards. She had never been like that before.

The only thing that she had noticed was that Asuka had kept his distance, not that he had much time to himself because the autograph frenzy had begun yet again. Unbelievably, a picture/autograph frenzy had also begun with her. At first she was shocked but happy, now, she was just tired.

Haruna-sensei had overlooked her most conscientious student daydreaming for the day, she had even organized a celebratory dinner with the whole class tonight. She had had afternoon tea with her friends yesterday at the Crown Cafe, and dinner with Asuka in a small but regal restaurant.

She smiled fondly as she remembered going home that afternoon after school with her friends, going into a room full of white lilies, and a large invitation card leaning against her bookshelf for dinner that night at one of the most expensive restaurants in the district. Her friends flew into a frenzy, sorting through her wardrobe, looking for the 'right' dress. In a way, she was glad that it happened, otherwise, she would have had to go through the headache of it herself.

Asuka always seemed to have the right timing. He knew exactly when to say things, when to do things for the greatest effect. On ice, his jumps were legendary, and took the audience's breath away by the sheer impulsiveness. In real life, his actions took her breath away by the embarrassment that it caused with her friends. He probably knew, somehow, that she was to have lunch with her friends, and somehow, knew that they would all be going to her house, on that particular day. Usually, her friends steered away from her apartment and had fun in the Arcade, or at the Temple, it was just this day that they had to have all been at her house, in her room…

In the end, she had allowed Minako to do her makeup last night, and she had done it like a professional. She wore a pale blue spaghetti stripped long dress. It was a sleek, slim dress, with a bell-bottomed flare towards the ankles. Rei had said that it would look good when she danced. She hadn't imagined herself dancing, but she was glad that she had followed their advice.

The secluded restaurant was one of natural beauty. Each table was in its own large room, the glass walls facing a man-made lake and Tropicana trees. They had their full privacy, no noise from other patrons. Each building only accommodated 4 rooms, with a total of 10 traditional western buildings, all of a different style, and you couldn't see anyone else in sight.

She didn't know how Asuka had managed to book a table in this restaurant, but it was certainly impressive. In all the places that she had ever gone to with her mother, this one in particular topped the list of the most splendid ones. They had two personal waiters, one violinist, and one pianist in the room with them, although they discretely disappeared when they wanted to be left alone. She could only smile when Asuka had asked her to dance, beside the grand balcony facing the deep blue water.

Now that she thought back on the previous night, she was sure that her mother and her friends had known about the plans beforehand but didn't tell her about it. Her mother had conveniently been too busy to drop her off at the restaurant, when later, a limousine arrived at her front door. The way her friends had insisted to go to her apartment for a change, something they had never asked for in their lives.

For a long time she stood in front of the café thinking about the previous night with Asuka. She wasn't quite sure how long it was until Usagi appeared from behind her and slapped her hard on the shoulders. "Hey Ami, we are at the right place, aren't we?"

"Um, I was just…"

"Sorry I'm so late."

"It's alright Usagi-chan."

The rest of the evening passed with drinks, toasts, chitter-chatter, she didn't really know what was going on, in a way, she didn't care. Asuka wasn't here celebrating with the rest of the class, Ami wondered where he was and her mind drifted to wherever he was, she didn't quite know where…

A little way away, three darkly shrouded men stood in the shadows, perched on the roof of the restaurant that faced the small café filled with delighted teenagers. The three men's faces although unseen beneath the obscuration, projected hate and evil to the otherwise calm surroundings of the night. They scanned the Function Room, waiting for their rivalry to appear, when at last the loathed foe appeared, they rubbed their hands in anticipation. They would wait for the right time to strike.

He walked quickly through the park, feeling the crisp air against his skin. His head told him that this wasn't a good idea, asking the car to drop him off early, but at the same time, it felt right. He felt that he was supposed to be here, clearing his head before the big celebrations. The night air was cool against his skin, the soft breeze pushed his hair away from his forehead. He closed his eyes to enjoy the moment, it reminded him of…

A hand gripped his shoulder as he felt himself being lifted above the ground. Immediately opening his eyes, he realized that what he was feeling at the moment was true, someone was lifting him several feet of the ground by the shoulder. Wait a minute, several feet, he was 5 feet 9, so whoever it was doing this had to be at least 8 feet or so tall! He twisted his head to behind him, in order to see who was doing this to him. It was an action that he would regret for the rest of his life. A creature from his darkest nightmares stared straight into his eyes. He eyes rolled to the back of his head, as he slumped into the strength that held onto him, he fainted.

The creature looked at this pathetic human being, wondering how this man could bring the downfall of the Bishoujo Senshi. Flinging his head back, he laughed maniacally. His laughter faded quickly, leaving an indescribable trail of sound behind him as he left into the night.

"To avenge…"

"To avenge the death…"

"To avenge the death of our Queen!"

"Our Royal Lady Queen…"

"Queen Beryl."

"For her deepest wish…"

"…and that of our present King…"

"…the master, the Royal King - Lord Takeuchi…"

"We will avenge…"

"…and revenge…"

"…kill all obstructions…"

"…this SailorMercury…"

"…she who destroys our plans…"

"…shall be destroyed in return!"


	7. Princess of Ice Chapter 7

**Princess of Ice**

**Tuesday 10:00pm**

Ami paced around her room, she couldn't concentrate on her work at all. As she tried to do her maths problems, her thoughts drifted back to the Saturday night when Asuka didn't show up. Could it be that he was jealous of the fact that she was excelling in his field of expertise? But that was impossible, because they couldn't even compete against each other. And thinking about the dinner with him in the restaurant on the Friday, his tone and manner showed genuine happiness for her. If only she could work it out, she was distressed over several things, one, her anger at Asuka, and two, her feelings over him, her best friend.

She wasn't quite sure what she was mad at, the fact that Asuka did not show up for the celebratory dinner with her class, or the fact that he was found in the Moon Gardens Park with another girl in a compromising position - asleep. True, he had been apologizing for the past few days, but the problem of not being quite sure why she was mad, made it slightly difficult to forgive him, and for him to apologize.

Asuka was old enough to date, in a way, the second reason why she could be angry, didn't really make sense… it was none of her business. The rational side of her also told her that she had absolutely no reason whatsoever to be so angry if indeed the first rationale for her being angry was true.

She sat on a folding chair on her balcony, facing the bustling street, the traffic and people rushed by like ants from where she sat. She didn't understand why she felt so confused, why she felt like this, Asuka was always like this, he made her usually clear mind confused and fogged.

She looked down at her hand, the hand that few days ago had opened the letter confirming her placement in the contest. Part of her wondered if she cared about it anymore, the reason for her entering the competition was because of Asuka, but he wasn't really part of her life anymore. But then, the reason why he wasn't part of her life anymore was because she didn't want him there. And she didn't want him there, because he was the one who had completely messed up her life with the competition. The problems all went in circles, before now, her life was a straight line, there were no loops like she was face with right now.


	8. Princess of Ice Chapter 8

**Princess of Ice**

**Three Weeks to All-Japan Trials**

**Friday 6:30pm**

Ami peeked out from her room shyly, seeing that her mother was not in sight, she carefully stepped out from the bedroom. She pulled up her dress delicately as she waked down the stairs, careful not to trip over.

"That new dress looks fabulous on you, may I presume that you are going out tonight with a certain someone?"

Ami nearly jumped out of her skin, she had taken for granted that her mother would already had left for work. Quickly composing herself, she smiled at her mother, she lowered her eyes and answered quaintly, "yes, you may presume that mother."

Mrs. Mizuno smiled, she knew what her daughter had hoped and had taken for granted. She couldn't help but follow her daughter's tone, "and may I be so impertinent as to ask where you will be going?"

"Well I must say that I find it rather contemptuous on your part to question me, but I will humor you this time. We happen to be going to the ballet to see Swan Lake."

"That will be interesting, I'm sure it will help with your skating expressionism."

"Sensei Narai did mention that."

"Do you have the tickets?"

"He has them. For all I know I might just be on a wild goose chase."

"I'm sure that you will have a delightful evening together. I'd better make myself scarce, I'll be home late tonight, and I wouldn't mind if you had a late night either."

Ami smiled at her mother as she propped herself carefully on her couch and picked up a book to pass time while waiting. "I'll see about that, maybe, maybe not."

"Do be careful about the way you sit down, if you're not careful about it, you might end up with creases and spoil the effect."

"I am, I'm sitting the way that you taught me to."

"Good, I'm sure Asuka wouldn't want to go out with a crinkle-bag. I must hurry now otherwise I will be late for my shift."

"Have a nice evening mother."

Mrs. Mizuno smiled at her beautiful daughter and pulled a face, "the best night is the night without casualties, and on those nights, I am out of business." She resumed her quaint accent again, "perhaps I am the one better qualified to wish you a happy evening."

Ami smiled back at her mother's good humor, she blushed lightly and answered in the same happy tone, "and perhaps you should."

The three creatures huddled around an old man, but their attention focused on the young lean body that lay face down on the cold stainless-steel table, usually reserved for the dead. The old man's scalpel moved deftly over the skull of the young man's head. He flipped his hand to indicate one of the creatures to hand him his tools. "The saw."

Animusor growled softly in answer to the demand, no one commanded him, but he was going to indulge the doctor this one time. He stretched awkwardly to his full height and shuffled his way to the tools bench, reaching for a large industrial saw.

"No stupid, not that one. We are doing a delicate operation here, not chopping down trees, I want the Stryker over there."

Animusor growled once again in displeasure. "What did you just call me?"

"Stupid, you heard that. Just shut up and do as you are told."

"Don't take this too far DOCTOR, I don't like it when you call me names. You'll regret this."

Avarice immediately moved in stop the argument. Animusor was not known for intelligence, that was his area, Animusor was strength, Ossify's was efficiency. He, Avarice's specialty was planning and dictation of power. The truth was, Animusor was their underdog, and he knew it, he just had too much pride to permit it. "No more arguments, doctor, just do your job."

This was a new type of manipulation for the Negaverse. Instead of influencing them by hypnosis, this was done by inserting a chip into the central nervous system to stimulate activity. Although from past experience, it meant that the recipient did not survive that long after the operation, they were alive long enough to accomplish their mission. This way, SailorMoon's Stardust Elimination could not interfere with the manipulation, the only way to recover was by physically removing the chip, and the chip could not be seen by the naked eye. It could only be seen either by magic, or under magnificent computer technology that was not yet discovered in the human world.

A loud whizzing noise vibrated throughout the dark room, the saw was in operation. Dust from the cutting of the skull danced in the air, flying in the room, leaving a fine mist of white in the air. The three creatures looked on in disgust, grossed by the sight. The doctor continued to do his job like nothing was new, with his optic glasses aided with a special computer that allowed him to see the computer chip and x-ray into the brain of his patient, the dust in the room did not bother him.

**Friday 8:07pm**

Ami looked up from her book and checked the time on her watch. It was just past 8:00pm, Asuka still hadn't arrived. He was known for being late, but the ballet itself was due to start at 8:00pm. She sighed, she would tell him off when he arrived later. Hesitantly she added, if he did at all. As she looked at the clock beside her, she fidgeted nervously, could he be in an accident?

Again she was undecided about her feelings to the question, she had been like this for the past few days. She didn't want anything to have happened to him, yet if there was no accident, then the only reason why she was being 'stood-up' would be that it was a deliberate move on his behalf. If it was the first reason, then she wouldn't know how to feel, considering her heightened anger. But if it was the latter, she would be even more lost about her feelings.

Deus Mercury had told her to try and 'get in touch with her feelings'. She knew how she felt, the problem lay in the fact that she didn't want to admit it. The only way to describe her feelings was with words that weren't in her vocabulary. She didn't know when Asuka was going to leave her behind again, but she knew that she would miss him, and she sincerely hoped that she would see him soon.

The doctor clapped his hands in delight, "the operation was a success. There are no marks whatsoever to even indicate that an operation was performed, even for a professional eye. I would suggest for this human to be monitored for the next hours to see if there are any adverse effects though."

"We don't have the time, dump this human back, if this human dies, we'll take it as experience." Ossify glowered at the doctor, "but this human had better not be a failure."

"I am being cautious naturally as a doctor, but I don't foresee any problems at all. Bring him back to the human world if that is what you wish."

Ossify turned and pointed to Animusor, "do it at once!"

Animusor growled unsatisfactorily, "you have no right…"

"Animusor, no arguments, we have some planning to do." Avarice was always the pacifier between Animusor's hot temper and Ossify's efficiency. "Come Ossify. Animusor, join us after you complete what you have to do. Thank you doctor, you did a great job. We will repay you accordingly of course."

The doctor smiled silently and bowed, "sir, there is no need at all, it is my pleasure to do anything in my power for you."

Avarice glared at him, "I cannot accept gifts from you doctor."

"As you wish sir."

Avarice smiled and nodded slightly to Animusor as he left the room with Ossify trailing behind him, Animusor immediately understood Avarice's signal. The doctor was not going to be needed after this operation, because this human was going to do the job right, there would be no need for backups. And this meant, one less mouth to leak out the information to their competitors for Lord Takeuchi's favor. The doctor had done them a great favor, and he would not need to suffer. The doctor was going to have a quick death, but painful enough to payback for the humiliation he caused when he ordered him, Animusor, around during the operation.


End file.
